Quick MLB Betting and Fantasy Notes for All 8 Monday Games

If you’re the type of bettor who likes a variety of sports on your betting card, you’ll have to wait until the end of this week when the U.S. Open and World Cup kick off. Until then, the focus will be on MLB betting. Unfortunately, we don’t have any matinee action to start your week, but we do have eight games Monday night to dive into. Let’s dig in.

Boston Red Sox (-118) at Baltimore Orioles (+108) | O/U: 9

Boston leads MLB with 341 runs scored, while Baltimore ranks second from the bottom with 229. (Only the Marlins have fewer.) The Orioles have scored three or fewer runs in 40 of their 64 games this season, and reached the four-run mark only twice in their current 2-11 stretch. While Boston does lead MLB in runs scored, it has recently really missed the injured Mookie Betts. The Sox have scored two runs or fewer in three of their past four games, which they did only three times in their previous 41 games. — Stuckey

Despite having the worst record in baseball, the Orioles (19-45) saw a short opening line of +115 move to +108 against one of the best teams in baseball. Should bettors follow the line movement? Since 2005, bad teams (winning percentage of 30% or lower) listed as underdogs against a division opponent with line movement in their direction have gone 164-186 (47%) straight-up. A $100 bettor would have profited $2,925 for an 8.4% return on investment on those divisional dogs. — John Ewing

Toronto Blue Jays (-109) at Tampa Bay Rays (-101) | O/U: 8

After using Ryne Stanek on Sunday, the Rays have decided to now start Ryan Yarbrough in his place. Originally, I pegged Yarbrough as a nice contrarian option, given his strikeout upside. Now, casual players will see his cheap $5,600 salary listed with the starters on DraftKings. He could make for a popular option for those wanting to set up a stars and scrubs lineup. You could possibly pair him with Patrick Corbin or Carlos Carrasco. — Mark Gallant

San Francisco Giants (-175) at Miami Marlins (+160) | O/U: 7.5

The Giants’ offense should be in good shape against Chen, who has awful recent batted-ball data. Hitters have especially teed off against Chen over his past two starts. His 235-foot batted-ball distance, 96 mph exit velocity and 59% hard-hit percentage over the past 15 days are all slate highs. — Mark Gallant

Chicago Cubs (-126) at Milwaukee Brewers (+116) | O/U: 8.5

The Brewers (39-26) lead the NL Central by a half-game. Since 2005, teams with a winning percentage of 60% or higher have gone just 103-134 (43.5%) as a home underdog against a division opponent in June or earlier. A $100 bettor would have lost 15.9 units playing a team in the Brewers’ spot over that span. — Evan Abrams

Also working in favor of the Cubs? The Brewers have struggled against lefties all season. Milwaukee ranks 26th in the league with a .376 slugging percentage — ahead of only the Orioles, Marlins, Phillies and Mets. I expect a strong start from the left-handed Quintana, who has a 4-1 record with a 0.63 ERA in six career starts against the Brew Crew. While Quintana has thrived historically against Milwaukee, Guerra can say the same against the Cubs. The right-hander boasts a 1.80 and sparkling .105 BAA in seven career games (four starts) against Chicago. — Stuckey